Date: Tue, 2 Sep 1997 17:32:39 -0400
Reply-To: David Katsuki <katsuki@BBN.COM>
Sender: Vanagon mailing list <Vanagon@Gerry.SDSC.EDU>
From: David Katsuki <katsuki@BBN.COM>
Subject: Re: Second Battery for Westy
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Tony,
I put an Optima battery in my 90 Westy and am quite pleased with it.
Mostly followed Ron Lussier's suggestions and mounted it with the posts
upright and the battery connections to the flush terminals pointing to the
rear of the van). I drilled clearance holes through the metal door (as
suggested by James Matthisen), since the Optima is just slightly large for
the space, but the posts have insulating plastic covers, and with them
easily accessible, you can easily jump another car (or your own main
battery...). (Yes, the seat platform does clear the posts when rotated,
but I held my breath when I did it the first time.) The www.vanagon.com
page (from Ron) has a good writeup on it, and there are also a number of
messages on the topic in the old newsgroup archives
(http://halfdan.med.umn.edu:8853/misc/archives/vanagon.html).
I used a bigger relay from J.C. Whitney (70 amp - advertised as a heavy
current accessory relay or some such), but DON"T buy their battery
isolators, since they are diode-type isolators, and the Vanagon alternator
doesn't put out enough voltage to overcome the voltage drop.
On the 90 Westy, there is a relay already in the compartment under the seat
that controls the refrigerator battery current and turns it off when the
alternator isn't making juice. I used the wiring on this relay
(substituted the heavier current relay but then put in a 30 amp fuse, since
the existing wiring is ~30 amp) as a quick way to get the Optima in before
our trip this summer, but I intended to go back and add a heavier wire over
to the main battery.
However, I've drained the Optima a couple of times, and the fuse didn't
blow during recharge, so I may leave it. Maybe the original relay (30
amp) and wiring would be OK too.
Hold-down for the battery is two pieces of 1/4" threaded rod through the
bottom of the box and a flat bar across the battery, bent down at each end.
Let me know if you have more questions. I still remember the gory details.
Dave
At 08:35 PM 9/1/97 -0700, you wrote:
>I have a 1987 Westy GL USA model
>
>That big space under the driver's seat is calling to me to fit another
>battery.
>I want to put in a second battery, but I am not sure how to go about it.
>I want the battery to drive the fridge and lights and I want the engine to
>charge it (Naturally).
>But, I don't want it to crank the starter - I don't want to put in the
>heavy duty cables.
>
>My Bently manual (Section 97.9a) shows what seems to be a simple wiring
>job, but there is no detail.
>It look like all I have to do is to hook up the new battery to the battery
>cut-out relay.
>
>I can't find the cut-out relay.
>
>Has anyone out there done this? How do I do it? Where is the relay?
>
>Thanks for your help.
>Tony Smith
><wordsmith@writeme.com>
>Time flies like an arrow, but fruit flies like a banana
>
>
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